1848: The Draft Constitution of the Kremsier/ Kroměříž Parliament

In July 1848, a parliament (Reichstag) elected on the basis of secret and equal male suffrage, convened in Vienna. In the face of growing political unrest, which had driven the emperor and his government to flee to Olmütz/Olomouc, parliament also relocated to Kremsier/ Kroměříž to remain close to the court. 

The Constitutional Committee of this parliament drafted a catalogue of basic rights and also formed part of second committee, which advised on the basic structure of a future constitution geared to a constitutional monarchy. Popular sovereignty and the legitimacy of the ruler were to be tied together. In this draft, the emperor, who was no longer granted the absolute right of veto, would be subject to the constitution. As a modern constitution, it therefore sought the classical separation of powers. In contrast to the Pillersdorf Constitution, it strengthened federalism within the empire, with an Imperial Council (Reichsrat) divided between a People’s Chamber and a Länder Chamber, which represented the provinces. The catalogue of basic rights would regulate the civil rights and liberties of citizens to an extensive degree. Read excerpts from the original German text here.

On 2 December 1848 Franz Joseph succeeded his uncle Ferdinand as emperor. His first step was to disband parliament and, on 4 March 1849, he enacted a constitution (“Imposed March Constitution”) without the involvement of a parliament.